What’s new in Beijing 2022

Beijing is set to become the first city to host both the Summer and Winter Olympics.

When Beijing hosts the Winter Olympics, starting on February 4, it will be the first time a host city has hosted both the Summer and Winter Olympics. After the success of the Summer Edition nearly 14 years ago, the capital of the People’s Republic of China will once again welcome the sporting world to compete on its soil.

Eight sites in Beijing 2008 have been converted and reallocated to Beijing 2022, including the National Aquatics Center – formerly called the Water Cube – now called the Ice Cube. The Capital Indoor Stadium has also been converted from Beijing’s 2008 volleyball stadium into an ice rink into a short track for speed skating and figure skating, while the famous “Bird’s Nest” National Stadium will once again host the opening and closing ceremonies.

New Olympic events

There are seven new events in the Winter Olympics program, with the addition of women’s monobob, women’s and men’s free skating, mixed-team short track speed skating, and snowboarding, from snowboarding and free skating, all ready to outfit. Exciting beginnings in games!

Newcomers to the Winter Olympics

Beijing 2022 will also feature a number of new National Olympic Committees that are not normally associated with a specific winter sport – or even the Winter Olympics as a whole!

Stay tuned for Richardson Viano, the first Haitian Winter Olympic athlete, who qualified for the men’s giant slalom event. The 19-year-old will become the first athlete from a Caribbean country to compete in figure skating at the Winter Olympics.

Beijing 2022 also marks the first time Australia has qualified for the Olympic curling competition, after qualifiers Jill and Dean Hewitt won all seven of their qualifying matches in the Netherlands in December 2021.

Among other news, Denmark and the Czech Republic will make their women’s ice hockey debuts at the Olympics, and alpine skier Muhammad Arif Khan has become the first athlete from India to win direct seats in two different events at the Winter Olympics, following the classifications of the men’s slalom and giant slalom.

A breakthrough in gender equality

For the first time, the Winter Olympics will see more women’s events as two more events are included: women’s monopop and women’s Big Air Skiing, with women representing 45% of all competitors, up from 41% in PyeongChang. in 2018.

Gender equality will be achieved in many sports, including alpine and freestyle skiing, cross-country skiing, individual skis, speed skating, skeleton and snowboarding.

The first green-powered Olympic Games

One of the goals of Beijing 2022 is to be the first carbon-neutral Olympic Games. All stadiums and most transportation will be powered by green energy. Solar, wind and hydropower are at the heart of the organizing committee’s efforts, with lighting, heating and other utilities all operating with zero carbon energy. Some of the major innovations include using water stored from rain and mountain runoff to make snow for competitions. There are also tree planting programs to improve the games’ ecological footprint.

For the first time, natural carbon dioxide will be used in cooling systems at ice sites, following a landmark decision under the guidance of the International Olympic Committee.